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Friday, 15 April 2016

Patience

A few hours ago, I picked my children up
from school. They were excited as it signalled the first day of the school
holidays- two weeks of fun filled family time ahead.

For me it's a good time to
reflect back of these last few months. To assess what I have achieved and think about what I can do better next term. This has been my first term of having no children at home during the day. The first term that I have been able to dedicate myself fully to my pattern writing.

As a blog reader, you're probably wondering what I have been up to, as I have been unusually quiet here on the blog recently. I really am sorry about that, but this is where the title of this blog post comes into play.

Those of you who follow me on social media will realise that I am not
always the most patient crafter. I come up with a new pattern and have
to share it with my followers immediately. I am often fairly spontaneous
in the design process and choose to share that spontaneity with you
guys.

If I'm honest, this is an approach that can get me into trouble and can lead to stress. Not every idea is as good in fabric as it is in my head so not every design that is shown on instagram will be released as a pattern. The moment that a design has been shared on social media, it also loses its appeal to magazines and publishers so these days I have to consider whether a design will potentially be of interest to a publication. It's a tough juggling act!

These last few months have taught me to be patient in my crafting. I have had to moderate the natural spontaneous crafter in me and think carefully about what I share and how I share it. I have had to think of the long game and keep projects secret until the designated time when all can be revealed.

This term I entered my first quilting challenge. One of the conditions was that all quilts had to be kept off social media. I am really excited to tell you that my quilt has made it through to the final round of judging and will travel around New Zealand over the next year. Technically, I could show you a sneak peak now, but it is only a few short weeks till the quilts will be displayed and the winners announced, so I think I'll save the grand reveal just a bit longer.

I also completed two projects (four quilts) for a couple of print magazines. This was the first time that I had submitted anything for a print magazine, so it was exciting and nerve racking all rolled into one. Both of the magazines will be released in June, so stay posted for updates about them.

Over the last few months, I have worked on two large scale quilt patterns- the 50" x 50" seahorse and the 40" x 65" running zebra. Both patterns are getting very close to release. You may be wondering why patterns are now taking so much longer to release than they previously did. There are many reasons for this.

These days I never release a pattern without sewing it myself. I have discovered that no matter how good my pattern testers are, there are some issues that only I can find. They are the subtle changes that can make a huge difference to the ease with which you can sew a pattern. Things that pattern testers may not know can be improved. Things that may not even bother them, but things that bother me.

After sewing a new pattern, I have to think about how to present it to you guys. I have been reassessing the layout of my patterns and the diagrams that are included. I have been considering how I can guide you guys to create the best item that you possibly can, while still respecting your own creative touch. I don't want to dictate how you interpret my patterns, but I do want to give you all the help that I can to create the best possible result.

I am really excited by how my pattern formatting skills are improving. I have been able to clean up my patterns and create a more professional look for my patterns. I really hope that you can see the difference because it adds a lot of work to the process!

All in all, I'm happy with how this term has played out. I have met all my deadlines and created projects that I am proud of. That said, I've struggled to find a happy medium regarding how much to share and when to share it.

I've also found the need to split my sewing time into work sewing and fun sewing. When I first started sewing, I fearlessly tried lots of new techniques. Over the years, this has changed and I have become a bit stuck in a paper piecing rut, so over the next wee while I am going to try out a few improv techniques. Who's interested in joining me? Do you have any suggestions for techniques that I should try or sources of improv inspiration? I'd love to hear from you!